Crime Log: K-9 Cop Falls Through Ceiling While Nabbing Wanted Man In Attic

The following is a summary of significant crime and incidents reported in Newark between April 21 to 27 as released by the Newark Police Department.

SATURDAY, APRIL 27

• Crackdown on area "massage" parlors: Story here. 

FRIDAY, APRIL 26

• Man uses GPS to track his stolen vehicle. A resident, who discovered his work vehicle missing from his home on Quince Place, activated its GPS and located it abandoned on Alexander Street in Fremont. Officers assisted in the auto's recovery. 

• "Ruff" landing for police dog. A gold-colored Oldsmobile belonging to a wanted Newark man, 29, was spotted at 7 p.m. in front of an Olive Street house. Residents inside said they did not know where the  suspect was hiding. The family was evacuated, and a search commenced based on the suspect's warrant with search clauses tied to the address. Officers' numerous "K-9 warnings" had no effect, so police dog Eliot was deployed and "alerted" to a scent in an attic crawl space accessible from an upstairs bedroom. Verbal commands to surrender, again, elicted no response, so Eliot was sent into the attic. The man still refused to come out, opting instead to scrap with the dog. After a two-minute struggle, the attic floor gave way, collapsing eight feet into the center of the living room --  along with Eliot who dropped through the hole onto the living room floor. Officers removed the suspect from the crawl space. He was treated at a hospital for bite wounds, and booked at Santa Rita Jail for warrants and resisting arrest. Eliot, meanwhile, was taken to the veterinarian, who determined he suffered no injuries.

THURSDAY, APRIL 25

• Disturbing behavior. A citizen called police at 8:20 a.m. concerning a man walking down the middle of Dairy Avenue -- pretending to be a car. The suspect, a Newark male, 53, had active warrants for assault with a deadly weapon on a police officer, threats to kill a public official, brandishing a deadly weapon and assault. Officers attempted to speak with the man, who put up a fight. Other officers responded and the suspect was finally apprehended with a chemical restraint and transported to a local hospital. After medical clearance, he was booked at Santa Rita Jail, Dublin, on his warrants and resisting arrest.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 24

• Thieves ditch stolen van, leave motor running. A concerned citizen in Oakland spotted an abandoned van with its engine running, and called the number on the side of the truck. Turns out the 2006 Ford Econoline was stolen overnight from Bluegrass Court. The Ford's owner was reunited with the vehicle -- which had tools missing from the cargo area.

• Drunk driver dozes off at railroad tracks. A Newark man, 44, was arrested on suspected driving-under-the influence charges after officers found him asleep behind the wheel of his car at 11:46 p.m. at the railroad tracks on Sycamore Street.

TUESDAY, APRIL 23

• Armored vehicle used in Lotus Court incident. Newark officers, along with the Union City Police Department and its armored rescue vehicle, responded at 7 p.m. to a Lotus Court home where a 33-year-old man was possibly holding a loaded rifle after using a knife to threaten two household members. One victim told police she was arguing with the suspect, as he held a kitchen knife, and she feared for the safety of herself and her grandson, who lived there, as well. As the victim and  grandson left the house, they spotted the suspect loading a bullet into a scoped rifle. The woman said the Newark man,  of late, was increasingly depressed, hostile, with extremist cultural and radical views. The armored vehicle, plus officers, pulled into the home's driveway. The suspect was found not to be holding the rifle, and was detained without incident and transported to a local hospital for treatment. A report of his threatening behavior was forwarded to the district attorney’s office. An Emergency Protective Order was granted for the  victims.

MONDAY, APRIL 22

• Catalytic converter gone. A catalytic converter was reported stolen at 11:31 a.m. from a vehicle parked on the 36300 block of Darvon Street. The vehicle was parked on the street in front of the owner's house for two weeks, so she was unable to say with certainty when it was stolen. 

• Newark moving company charged with fraud, scams: Story here.

SUNDAY, APRIL 21

• Domestic violence at the mall. A female reported to police that she was battered by her ex-boyfriend in the NewPark Mall parking lot, but further investigation revealed complexities involving alleged robbery, auto theft and domestic violence. The ex-boyfriend, a Hayward man, 22, reportedly assaulted the woman, stole a diamond pendent from her neck, smashed her head into the car window and attempted to steal her vehicle while she was seated inside. The case was forwarded to the district attorney’s office.

• Another Fremont Pizza Hut stick-up. A white man in his 20s, wearing a black hoodie, black pants, gray hat, a black scarf covering his face,  and armed with a black semi-automatic pistol robbed The Hub's Pizza Hut. After ordering all employees to the ground, he fled with an unknown amount of money. This is the second armed robbery at a Fremont Pizza Hut in less than a month. The other incident, on Easter Sunday, is detailed here.  

• World War II grenade found under Union City home: Read more here.

Anyone with information about crimes in Newark is asked to call Newark Police non-emergency line at (510) 578-4237 or the Silent Witness Hotline at (510) 578-4000, ext. 500.